Story+1984-08-28+Largo,+MD

”Thanks.....we’re gonna be playing for a while so you guys can.....sit down (?)....this is....here’s a song, I guess, about having to choose.....between.....your family....and your duty.....”
 * 28.08.84 Largo, MD, intro to ‘Highway Patrolman’:**

”Thanks....now, who’s here, who’s here with a date tonight ? (cheers).....(?) it should serve as a warning, this next song, this song is about......kinda what happens.....you know how it is when you first meet somebody and.....and you go out and you’re kissing ‘em all the time and you’re holding hands with ‘em every place you go..... and everything they do is wonderful.....you know, whatever they wear, ‘Oh, you look so beautiful tonight, honey’.....whatever they say is.....is like.....just brilliant (chuckles).... you know....you know like they say ‘What movie you wanna go to ?’ , ‘Oh I don’t care, whatever you wanna see’ (cheers)....’You wanna go out tonight.....or do you wanna stay home ?’.....’I don’t care , honey, just as long as I’m with you’ (cheers)..... you know you tell ‘em.....’Oh, I love you, I love you’ and ‘I love you too’....’No, I love you more’.....and, and it’s ‘I bet you told that to your last girlfriend’.....’Yeah, but I didn’t really mean it’ (cheers).....’I really mean it now’ (cheers).....and then all of a sudden (chuckles).....a little while down the line.....it turns into like, uh......you know.... ‘Are we gonna go out tonight or do I have to sit here and look at your face all night ?’ (chuckles)(cheers)....’That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard’, they tell you whatever you got to say.....’How did I get mixed up with a dummy like you’, you know....anyway.....ends up in a cold hard stare.......”
 * 28.08.84 Largo, MD, intro to ‘I’m Goin’ Down’:**

”Hold on, boys.....alright.....oh yeah......oh yeah......come on now.......this is a song....about....how all things.....in their time must pass......it’s about.....how like every ....ten years, they send you them letters to go back to your high school for your high school reunion.....that´s kinda open season on old stories there......now, I never went back myself......it wasn’t because I didn’t like it there.....it was because I hated it there! (cheers).....did not like high school......I was bad at studying.....I was bad at sports..... I was bad at.....I got a little better at that, though (cheers).....you gotta practise, practise, practise (cheers)....that always helps, that always helps......anyway I’d always be out somewhere......somebody’d come up to me.....and start talking about.....glory days (cheers).....”
 * 28.08.84 Largo, MD, intro to ‘Glory Days’:**

”It seems like sometimes the hardest thing to do is.....is getting together with your folks.....uh.....I know when I was a kid.....I kinda thought my folks were.....sort of like the livingroom furniture, you know (chuckles).....they kinda came with the house (chuckles).....uh.....I guess that changes when you get .....a little older...... (….) Now the darkness.....this town.....(?)......I forgot the words (chuckles)(cheers)..... does anybody out there remember this ? (cheers)......that’s the ones I just sang (chuckles)(cheers)....this doesn’t happen every night (chuckles).....oh......(singing:) Now I don’t know what it always was with us.....”
 * 28.08.84 Largo, MD, intro to ‘Independence Day’:**

”That’s not supposed to happen, I’m supposed to be the Boss here (chuckles)(cheers) ....thanks for your patience (chuckles).....we did try.....oh damn.....now we’re gonna do one I know all the words to (chuckles).....yeah......here’s a bonus song for the one that I screwed up, alright (chuckles)(cheers)......here’s a song about....’bout old cars.... (?)....they say.....’old cars never die, they just break down on you all the time’ (cheers)...”
 * 28.08.84 Largo, MD, intro to ‘Used Cars’:**

”Thanks....here’s a song, uh......I guess I started to write this song about, uh......about the town that I grew up in.....and.....it was later when I looked back....back at it, I guess I...I thought that maybe what it’s about is responsobility......kind of, uh...... like, this place is ours, this.....this country and the state and your town (cheers).....it’s all.... in the end it’s kinda what you make it, I guess, you all bear kind of, uh......shame and the glory for the best and the worst of it so.....do what you can......”
 * 28.08.84 Largo, MD, intro to ‘My Hometown’:**

”You’re the crazy ones in the back there....yeah....this is.....I remember when I was.... when I was 15.....they used to have these hullabaloo clubs (chuckles)....that uh..... I went into and met somebody who’s ended up being one of my very best friends.... and uh.....this is uh......this is something that’s.....for Little Steven (cheers)....who’s got an album out now called ‘Voice of America’....it’s a real good record.....if you get a chance, you should pick it up.....”
 * 28.08.84 Largo, MD, intro to ‘No Surrender’:**

”Take it easy, boys.....now.....this is a song.....about the conflict.....between worldly things.....and spiritual health......between......the desires.....of the flesh (cheers)..... and spiritual ecstasy......now, where did this conflict begin ?....they say that......long time ago....in the Garden of Eden which they originally thought was located in the Middle East.....but.....the latest theological studies have.....pinpointed the....actual place of the Garden of Eden to be about ten miles south of Jersey City (cheers).....in an area.... now occupied by Happy Dan’s Celebrity Used Cars.....well, before the tour, I visited Happy Dan and.....he explained to me....that it was all about the Temptation.....that in the beginning....on that first day God created the heavens and He created the earth and He sat back and the Lord said ‘This is good’.....and on the second day, He grew hot and He created the air-conditioner and the Lord sat back and said ‘This is good’..... and on the third day, He grew hungry and the Lord created the cheeseburger and He sat back and said ‘This is good’ (cheers).....on the fourth day, He grew bored and He created rock and roll (cheers).....and the Lord sat back and said ‘This is definately good’ (cheers).....and by that time the weekend had come around (cheers).....and the Lord was bored (chuckles).....and so He decided to take his baby for a drive so He sat back and created the pink Cadillac (cheers).....and the Lord leaned back and said..... ‘This is wild’......”
 * 28.08.84 Largo, MD, intro to ‘Pink Cadillac’:**

”I wish you’d come back, baby....’cause I miss you so much..... (….) And I remember that we swore on it.....I remember that we swore that.....if I got out first, I’d help you......and if you’d got out, you’d help me.....and we swore on it.... and we said that it’d last.....forever....and forever.....and forever.......and that nothing ..... could ever pull us apart......and that nobody could ever pull us apart.....and then you said it was nothing.......it was just a promise......you said it was nothing but a promise.....”
 * 28.08.84 Largo, MD, intro to ‘Backstreets’:**

”Alright, ladies and gentlemen......it’s now my pleasure.....to introduce to you.....the members ....of the E Street Band (cheers)......beginning.....to my far left......the only member of the band......with a full high school diploma, a gentleman who turned down a scholarship to Yale ‘Versity where he was about to undergo his studies for his Phd in unusual sexual practises.....to join this tour with the E Street Band, I’m talking about the educated, the dedicated, the man with all the (?), Professor Roy Bittan (cheers).... now on the vocals.....an alumni of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes (cheers).... the b-e-e-autiful.....Miss Patti Scialfa (cheers)......on the drums, the one, the only, the author of the Big Beat, the Mighty Max Weinberg (cheers)......and next, the man that puts the bass in your face, the thunder from down under, his mother was a talent, his father was a talent, the one, the only, Mr. Garry W.Tallent on the bass guitar (cheers).... and next we have the inimitable, the immovable, the irretrievable, (?), the unimaginable, the incredible, the unforgivable, the immoral, the original sinner (?).... on the organ, Mr.Dan Federici (cheers).....and now on the guitar (cheers) .....a hometown boy (cheers).....drumroll, please......Mr.Nils Lofrgren (cheers) ....(Nils does his trampoline act)...that´s incredible.....and now last but not least (cheers) ..... bring it down boys.....the other night while trying to think of a way to describe this next gentleman......while I was sitting at my desk.....I was moved to pen this next verse..... ‘C’ is for his cool which grows and grows.....’L’ is (?) which comes and goes..... ‘A’ is ‘cause he’s the apple of my eye......’R’ ‘cause though he’s the king of the world, he’s still just a regular kinda guy......’E’ is ‘cause he’s everything near and dear to me.....’N’ is ‘cause there’s nothing like him and there´s never ever gonna be......’C’ is for that C-note he’s owed me since 1963.......’E’ is for everything else, you put that all together, what’s that spell ?.....”
 * 28.08.84 Largo, MD, middle of ‘Rosalita’:**

”Thanks....I’d just like to.....like to take a second and thank everybody for coming down tonight, thank you very much (cheers)......I know a lot of you guys have been....waiting in line for a long time to get your tickets and I want....you to know that we appreciate it (cheers)....and uh.....when I was a kid growing up, I guess.....the first thing that ever kinda entered my head, that meant anything to me....was when I heard of, uh.......Elvis Presley (cheers)....and uh...I guess what it did was it kinda set my mind free......so that I could......dream a little bit harder (chuckles)....but uh.....his music always said to me ‘Just let freedom ring’.....so that’s what we’re here for tonight, remember we all gotta fight for it every day......”
 * 28.08.84 Largo, MD, intro to ‘Born to Run’:**

//Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi//